RAMONA  The County of San Diego filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court challenging plans of the U.S. Forest Service to reopen the trail to Cedar Creek Falls near Ramona.

Closed since July, 2011, the trail in the Cleveland National Forest was to reopen on a limited basis next Friday.

However the lawsuit seeks an injunction barring the reopening until the case can be fully litigated.

The lawsuit contends the forest service has inadequately assessed the effects that reopening the trail would have on the Ramona neighborhood where the trail starts and on the health and safety of the trail’s users.

Under the forest plan, to use the trail, hikers will have to first obtain a visitor permit online for $6. The number of permits will be limited each day to 75 for individuals or groups of up to five people.

The closing of the trail two years ago and the planned changes were made to address a number of problems.

The Cedar Creek Falls trail has always been popular, but in recent years, use of the trail had increased dramatically partly as a result of social media. The swimming hole at the base of the falls had become “party central” for teens and young adults, many of whom would drink alcohol, which raised all sorts of safety and other issues.

Parking near the trailhead in the San Diego Country Estates housing development south of Ramona had also grown out of control, prompting residents to complain about trash, noise and visitors’ general unruliness.

Some residents say they doubt the permits will limit the number of trail users.

“We visualize a big mess,” said Philip Harding, who lives near the trailhead where he said as many as 250 cars would park along the streets on busy weekends before the trail was closed. The trailhead has parking for only 29 cars.

“We’ve got a wait-and-see attitude,” he said.

Overuse of the trail was also giving the forest a beating, as hikers trampled plants and caused other habitat damage.

The new rules also ban alcohol and make off-limits all the cliffs that surround the swimming hole. The trail was closed after a 16-year-old boy from El Cajon died when he fell from a cliff, the latest in a series of deaths and injuries in the area over several years.

“Our plan for implementation is the most balanced approach available to us to restore public access to Cedar Creek Falls while addressing natural resources and public concerns,” said Cleveland National Forest Supervisor William Metz in a news release issued earlier this week before the county sued.

“The implementation of a visitor permit area is intended to reduce the number of daily visitors to a manageable level. It is our intent to continue to provide for an outstanding outdoor recreational opportunity, while being proactive about caring for the natural resources on these public lands, and to assist the public in providing for their own health and safety,” Metz said.

No court date has been set for the injunction request, but a hearing will likely take place next week before the scheduled opening.

Earlier this year the county appealed the forest service’s decision to reopen the trail. On March 15, the service denied the appeal.

The lawsuit states the decision to reopen the falls “creates environmental harms regarding public health and safety, traffic and parking impacts, and environmental effects that have not been adequately evaluated.”

A forest service representative said plans are still in place to open the trail Friday unless the court says differently.

County Supervisor Dianne Jacob said the decision to open the trail “ignores both public safety and the fiscal concerns that have been raised by the county.”

She said it costs the county a great deal of money each year in search and rescue costs to help hikers who have become injured or dehydrated. She said in the past the forest service has failed to enforce rules yet refuses to contract with the Sheriff’s Department to help police the area.